Questions about visiting grad schools

[AudioEnvy]

I will be applying soon to grad schools, and I wanted to visit some of them this summer before making my final decision about where to apply. I have a few questions...

1. My mom really wants to go on the visits with me...if I am planning to try to schedule to meet with the directors of the programs while I am there, will it look weird/bad to have my mom with me? I feel like it is something that I should be being more independent about, but she really wants to be part of the process...and I don't personally mind her being there, but I am just afraid that it will reflect badly on me.

2. Do you have any good questions that I should make sure to ask while I am visiting the schools?

[ktel]

1. That's understandable that she wants a part in the process. However I do agree that it would look weird to have your mom with you in the meetings. Perhaps you can include her in other ways, such as by taking a campus tour together.

2. When I visited the grad schools I applied to I tried to meet with potential supervisors. In that case I discussed possible thesis topics and their research areas with them. Otherwise you might want to ask about funding, housing, degree requirements, etc. I can't think of any specific question that you might not already have thought of yourself.

[newms]

I agree with ktel,

1) It would be weird for your Mom to be in any meetings you have with profs (really, insist that she doesn't come with you on any meetings) during your visit, but it's ok if she goes on a tour of the campus with you.

2) Try to arrange meetings with profs who you are interested in working with. Come prepared to discuss your research interests as well as to ask any questions you might have about the profs' research. Be prepared to give a brief description of yourself and your interests - you should practice this before so that you'll have it down pat during the meeting. Good luck!

[AudioEnvy]

My situation is that I am going to be on a trip with my mom, and wanted to visit some schools in the area while we were there, because I don't think that I will get another chance to go to this area of the US before applying. But since we will be together on a trip, I don't think that I will be able to meet with anyone if she isn't with me. Do you think that it would be better to tour the schools but not actually try to meet with anyone (and then maybe just contact them with some questions via phone or email afterwards)?

[ktel]

Is it not possible for her to wait outside or plan another activity during your meetings? My boyfriend was with me when I made trips to the universities I was interested in, and he waited in the hall. These face-to-face meetings are very important, and if you meet with the right person, could make a difference in your admission chances. So no, I wouldn't recommend not doing the meetings, but I would also not recommend having your mother in the meetings.

[newms]

My situation is that I am going to be on a trip with my mom, and wanted to visit some schools in the area while we were there, because I don't think that I will get another chance to go to this area of the US before applying. But since we will be together on a trip, I don't think that I will be able to meet with anyone if she isn't with me. Do you think that it would be better to tour the schools but not actually try to meet with anyone (and then maybe just contact them with some questions via phone or email afterwards)?

Is it possible to go with your Mom, but then your Mom wait in the car or outside while you meet with a prof?

You could just visit the school and look at the campus, which would give you an idea of if you would like attending that school. But it would be an opportunity missed IMO, since meeting with profs before applying can (i) help you determine if the research at this school would really fit your interests and (ii) possibly leave a favorable impression with a prof and thus help your admission chances.

[Mal83]

My situation is that I am going to be on a trip with my mom, and wanted to visit some schools in the area while we were there, because I don't think that I will get another chance to go to this area of the US before applying. But since we will be together on a trip, I don't think that I will be able to meet with anyone if she isn't with me. Do you think that it would be better to tour the schools but not actually try to meet with anyone (and then maybe just contact them with some questions via phone or email afterwards)?

Do you think you could tell her, in the most polite way possible, that it would be best if she hung out somewhere else while you are in a meeting? I agree that it would be OK for her to be on campus tours with you since it's just a group of people walking around the campus, nothing really personal about that. But after if you have a meeting maybe she could go look around in the bookstore or read in a lounge/lobby...something like that. She should understand that it would be really odd for a professor to have a parent in a meeting with a prospective grad student talking about research. He or she might wonder if your independent enough to handle grad school. It's kind of like taking a parent with you on a job interview...just not a good idea.

[AudioEnvy]

Okay, thanks guys. I'll definitely see what I can work out.

Another question...I'm sure that I am sounding really clueless here, but how did you guys go about setting up meetings? Did you directly contact the director of the program?

[ktel]

I sent out e-mails with my CV and transcript and asked to set up a meeting, and most professors got back to me. In one instance I actually just showed up at the department office and explained that I was a potential grad student. The secretary immediately phoned the grad coordinator and he happened to be free, I spoke with him for an hour and then he introduced me to the professors whose research interested me. So if after several e-mails a professor doesn't respond, just showing up might be a good option. Many professors are absent minded or get tons of these types of e-mails.

[Behavioral]

For the schools I visited (before actually applying to them), I had my professor email some of his friends and colleagues to see if they were free; if they were, I'd get in contact with them. These schools were ones within driving distance from my home.

The rest, I felt there was no point (given the cost of travel) unless I was already accepted.

[StrangeLight]

re: your mom. definitely don't bring her with you into the meetings. i'd recommend not even having her wait outside the room while you're having the meeting. even though this may be an unfair judgment, it will reflect a perceived lack of maturity to have your mother escort you to and from meetings. have her hang out at a nearby cafe or something while you do these meetings. they probably won't last more than an hour.

re: contacting departments. find the prof you'd want to work with and the director of grad studies on the department website. email them both, let them know when you'll be in town, what your interests are (1-2 sentences), and if they're around that you'd like to meet with them. if they're not out of town at the time, they will in all likelihood make time to meet with you. they may even have a grad student or two meet with you so you can ask them about what it's like to be in the program (don't take your mom to meet the grad students either).